Monument Valley: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats to guide Ida on her journey

Monument valley strategy guide: How to help Ida overcome all the obstacles in every single chapter!

In Monument Valley you'll guide Ida, the silent princess, through many levels that are filled with optical illusions, mysterious Crow people, and more. Each time you get Ida to her goal, you'll unlock another chapter. Along the way you get to enjoy the breathtaking visuals and an eery story line. However, if you've gotten stuck or just want some tips and tricks to help you get Ida where she needs to be, that's where iMore comes in. Here are our top tips and tricks for guiding Ida through Monument Valley!

1. Perception is everything

Monument Valley is a world full of nothing but optical illusions. It isn't about what you're looking at and more of how you look at it. That being said, if you find yourself stuck on an obstacle, be sure you're looking at it from all angles. Sometimes a staircase or a connection is made at one angle that completely disappears from view in another.

2. Start each level off by exploring the landscape

One of the first things you should do before moving Ida around too much is explore around you. If there are things you can rotate and move, check them out before deciding what is the best course to steer Ida on. Make note of any switches as well. You can't interact with these but Ida can. It's typically a good idea to make that your first goal, get Ida to any objects only she can interact with.

3. Use pulleys and switches to your advantage

There are some chapters in which Crow people will attempt to undo switches that you've pressed the second you step off of them. In these kinds of scenarios you have to find a way to stop them. Typically that comes in the form of a pulley or barricade that you can hold just long enough to divert them. Then timing becomes key.

4. If a level rotates, lay a path out in front of Ida

Going back to tip number one, the most important thing to remember about rotating obstacles is that they're based more on how you perceive them. Make note of what stairways connect where when you rotate the level. Then figure out the best way to get Ida from point A to point B.

5. If you can't see Ida, that move won't work

A good rule of thumb to remember is that if Ida is out of view, you probably can't make a move at that perspective — at least not until you move Ida around a bit. The best rule to follow is that if you're trying to get Ida around a tight corner or plan another move, make sure she's always in view. That means whatever you're planning will work.

6. Crows are all about timing and trickery

Crows are for lack of a better term, harmless. They do however get in the way a lot. Sometimes it takes a bit of trickery and timing to get around them. For the most part this can be done by timing your taps to move Ida around them. If there is a persistent Crow person, you may have to try and find a way to block them off before bringing Ida into the thick of things. Most of the time there's a section of monument that can be raised to obstruct their paths.

7. Learn cranks and rotation devices at the beginning of a level

If you see cranks or other mechanisms that let you manipulate the landscape, get to know them at the beginning of the level. This will save you a lot of time moving Ida back and forth. Sometimes certain cranks are unusable if you step off certain areas or on to others. Learning those early on can help you figure out how to best move around them and utilize them to your advantage.

8. Look for patterns and behaviors

Going with tip number 7, make sure you're watching for patterns, whether it be the path a Crow person takes or how a crank and lever responds to you pushing it. In some instances you have to have weight or another object to counter balance. Knowing this early on can again save you some moves. In levels with totem poles, always be sure to evaluate what the totem pole can help you reach before moving around too much.

9. Not sure if a move is possible? Give it a try!

If you aren't sure if somewhere is even accessible at all, try tapping the screen. If you can move there, the dot will have a white glow around it. If you can't, there's no white glowing ring. Testing your theory first is a good way to prevent wasting time trying to get somewhere you can't even go in the first place.

10. You can't get stuck, ever

The best part of Monument Valley is that you can never put yourself in a situation you can't get out of. That's exactly the way the game was designed. If you ever reach a dead end, just turn around and try again. No need to restart levels or worry about whether a move is going to ruin how far you've progressed already. Just retrace your steps to where you got stuck and try, try again!

Your Monument Valley tips?

If you're currently playing Monument Valley, let me know what you think of it in the comments as well as any tips and tricks you have to offer up! And if you want, let me know how far you've gotten too!

Reader comments

Monument Valley: Top 10 tips, hints, and cheats to guide Ida on her journey

Although this game is gorgeous, I don't think, in my opinion, that it deserves a "tips and tricks" article. It only has 10 levels which are pretty easy to finish. It took me half an hour to 40 minutes to beat the game. And don't get me wrong. While its awesome and beautiful, it is definitely not worth its price tag. Even if they are adding new levels in future
updates. The initial release could have been bigger and more challenging. Seriously. A 6 year old could finish these with ease. There was only ONE level that was semi-complex and that took more than a couple of minutes to finish. So again...Though its fun and pretty to look at, this isn't really a game that is deserving of a "tips and tricks" article. In my opinion, of course.

If you finished the game in only 30-40 mins then you've totally missed the point and certainly wouldn't have had the time to fully absorb the experience. It's a beautiful game to be cherished... To explore... There's no prize for getting through the puzzles as fast as you can.

I disagree, and I don't believe you made a very compelling argument as to why you think his comment was "missed". What did he miss? Why do you think that time of gameplay has so much to do with experience? I too finished the game in under an hour. Seriously, the first level take about 2 minutes to figure out what the deal of the game is. The 2nd level introduces the story behind the gameplay. The rest is personal discovery, really just expanded storyline. Albeit pretty loose at that. Don't get me wrong, I think this game is beautiful and I've recommended it to all my friends. iPad only because even though you can play it on the iPhone, the experience is sort of lost on the small screen. You miss all the little nuances of the game on an iPhone. Yes, I caught all the graphic nuances that I'm sure the creators wanted us to see. I'm a huge fan of Escher and I see where they were going with the design and game play...essentially bringing the world of Escher to life.

As for the story, I don't get it, and I really don't think sitting there pondering the greater meaning of that spirit woman's cryptic phases would help me much. And I really don't see the connection they were trying to make between the crows and the architecture. Yes I get the people of these cities are now the crows and they didn't really abandon their cities. But then why turn the girl into a crow? Or, what do crows have to do with this bizarre architecture? How is a crow suited to this world over any other being? And why did they turn into crows? And why is it the destiny of this little girl to become the Crow Queen? That part is really just not very well developed in my opinion.

This game has a lot going for it, and I'd say this is really the first truly wonderful iOS 7 inspired game...sure, letterpress gets the official quintessential title of the first truly ios7 game but this really takes the ideas and graphic language of ios7 and runs with it. All the way down to the special effects and atmosphere. But, as a story, I'd say it's a c+\b- at best.

But thats the thing. I wasn't trying to get through it as fast as i can. I am all for great experiences in gaming and whatnot. But personally, I found this one to be overhyped. Again, its a great looking game. Great idea. But not long enough and not challenging enough. There is absolutely ZERO replay value. And no feeling of accomplishment. Also, this is my personal opinion and clearly you don't agree. And thats cool. But don't make assumptions about how I play games and what my experience is while playing them.

I'd be surprised if anyone got stuck in this game. It's incredibly easy, and one of the shortest games around. It only takes an hour to play through from start to finish, and it's a completely linear game with only one solution to each level.

There is one spot in the game where you must manipulate a piece of the structure that raises a section that gives Ida a route to travel that you can't see what you are doing. It's not difficult to figure out what you're doing, but it is a little tricky.

To those who are getting hung up on the story, I would say don't get too involved in that and just enjoy the mechanics, logic and design effort that had to go into making this game. Yeah they felt they had to come up with some sort of "story" to tie it all together, but that's not really the point in the end. It's a beautifully designed and executed game, short as it is, and I love it. It does have replay ability, each time I go through it I am amazed at how the levels work.

Drat I'm on level 10 - you mean I'm almost finished? I just spent all day slowly playing this game as I enjoyed every minute and didn't want to rush through the levels. I WAS surprised that it was so easy - as I am not very bright. Whoever said just enjoy the mechanics was right.